Hi Subscriber, welcome to the November 2011 newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.
Legoland Florida officially opened on October 15 and already there are plans to re-open the old Cypress Gardens water park and build a resort hotel.
With the rise is smartphone technology, nearly all the major theme parks now offer free mobile applications to help you get the most out of your visit. See our stories below.
With a recent crackdown on school bus “pass-bys”, it is a timely reminder to be aware of the Florida school bus stop laws.
Halloween celebrations are now coming to an end but within a few weeks, the Christmas Holiday season will get into full swing.
Lastly, SeaWorld has said that they will “make waves” on November 8. They are likely to announce some new attractions for their Orlando parks. Possibilities include a new Arctic themed ride at the Penguin Encounter, a sea turtle movie experience as part of the Manatee display and a rain forest themed trail at Discovery Cove.
Pre-Screened Flyers
For a selected few, travelling through Miami International Airport will be a slightly more enjoyable experience in future.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has introduced a programme called PreCheck for a select 70,000 travellers which means they get fast-tracked through their own lane at the security screening stations. Also they no longer have to remove their shoes or take laptops from their bags when passing through security.
Eligibility to the programme is by invitation only at this time and involves criminal and commercial background checking before being granted approval. Currently it only applies to a small number of frequent business flyers flying on domestic flights with American or Delta Airlines but if successful it might be rolled out to other airlines.
TSA’s aim is to relax the rules a little for those who do not pose a security risk whilst focussing more effort on those who potentially might pose a risk.
Unfortunately, this will not have any impact on typical leisure flights into or out of Florida in the foreseeable term.
Wing WalkAir
Fantasy of Flight is increasing the appeal of their aviation themed museum attraction in Polk City with the introduction of their new Wing WalkAir zip line ride and ropes course.
The new attraction is situated outdoors next to the distinctive red/white checkerboard water tower and features a four-story high 600 foot zip line ride over water and a three level ropes course with 33 midair challenges.
To participate in the Wing WalkAir attraction you must weight less than 300 lbs and be able to fit into the safety harnesses. Guests under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets can be bought either with or without a combined admission to Fantasy of Flight. Standalone ticket prices for Wing WalkAir are $22 for both the zip line and rope course, $15 for just the zip line and $12 for the rope course.
By buying a combined Fantasy of Flight and Wing WalkAir ticket, you can save $10.
Read more about the Fantasy of Flight museum.
SpaceX Recoverable Rockets
SpaceX who are currently competing to provide supply and ultimately manned mission to the International Space Station have unveiled plans to recover the various components of their launch system.
Presently with the exception of the Space Shuttle and its two solid boosters, all orbital rockets are expendable and burn up in space. SpaceX is proposing a system whereby each component could complete a controlled descent back to Earth and then land vertically using special built-in rockets and fold-out landing struts.
That would be a truly amazing sight.
Disney Dining Reservations
A couple of Walt Disney Worlds most popular restaurants charge a $10 pre-pay reservation fee per person. These include Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom and three of Disney’s dinner shows, the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ.
Because of the number of people who make reservations for dining at some of Walt Disney World’s other restaurants and then don’t show, Disney have now started imposing a cancellation fee for most sit-down dining restaurants.
At the time of making your reservation, you will need to give your credit card details. If you don’t show at your allotted time or cancel less than 24 hours before, you will be charged a $10 cancellation fee per person.
If you cancel at least 24 hours in advance, then no fee is charged and you can still make reservations up to 180 days in advance.
Dragons Challenge
Following a couple of incidents on the Dragons Challenge (formerly Duelling Dragons) roller coaster ride at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure, Universal have taken the decision to ‘unsync’ the two opposing trains so they no longer pass within a few feet of each other.
A signature feature of the ride was the moment when the two sets of coaster cars came around a loop at the same time, just feet apart. Computers adjusted the launch times based on weight to ensure the maximum thrill of the near collision experience.
The ride has operated successfully for over 10 years, but unfortunately two people have been hurt recently when flying objects have hit them, one tragically losing an eye.
Universal temporarily stopped the synchronisation but after investigating the ride, they took the decision to alter the timing of the ride permanently. They are now billing the ride as a high speed chase and the trains no longer converge on each other. Nothing has been said as to whether the incidents were deemed accidental or deliberate.
As with all roller coaster rides it is important to make sure you secure any loose objects like sunglasses, cell phones and cameras before riding.
Latest Hotel Deals
Amongst the travel offers in November, there are plenty of deals to be had in the Orlando area including 4 star hotels from just $63 like the Wyndham Orlando Resort, The Point Universal Orlando Resort, Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate and Doubletree Resort Orlando on International Drive. Other deals include:
- $119: 4-star Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld + Rate includes breakfast, Book Anytime
- $169: 4-star Walt Disney World Dolphin + Save 20% on your stay, Book Anytime
- $59* - $59.00 & up 3-star hotels in Panama City
- $51* - $51.00 & up 4-star hotels in West Palm Beach
- $132* - $132.00 & up 4-star hotels in Naples
There are many more good deals this month as tour operators continue to offer discounts, so if you are planning a vacation to Florida during 2011, then let the Florida Review & Travel Guide help you on your way.
This is just a small sample. To see the rest of the great deals and more, check out our late Florida deals page.
Gasoline Prices
The average pump prices in Florida have remained steady at $3.42, down from $3.43 for a gallon for regular, a drop of just one cent on last month.
The ongoing fight against the two independent gas stations, Suncoast Energys and Sun Gas near Orlando International Airport, that charge exorbitant prices, continues. Their prices are typically nearly $6 a gallon and they are refusing to comply with local ordinances that insist that prices are displayed prominently so that passing motorists can see them before approaching the pumps.
They have now put up signs but Orlando officials have stated that they do not meet city standards and both stations are now being fined $1,000 a day until they comply.
You can always find the latest pump prices at GasPriceWatch.com.
Florida’s newest theme park, Legoland Florida, opened on October 15 as promised. It is firmly aimed at the 2–12 year old age group who love everything Lego.
The day before, on October 14, Merlin Entertainments Group (owners of Legoland) confirmed that the former Cypress Gardens water park, Splash Island, would re-open as a Legoland water park next summer. Again it will be themed around Lego and one ride will allow guests to build their own raft out of Lego bricks.
The water park is scheduled to open in May of 2012 and rather surprisingly will be an “add-on” to the existing Legoland Florida admission ticket rather than a completely separate attraction. This follows the same approach with the water park adjoining Lego’s California theme park.
However, this is in sharp contrast to the other major Florida water parks; such as Disney (with Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), Universal (with Wet ‘n’ Wild), SeaWorld (with Aquatica) and Busch Gardens (with Adventure Island) who all charge a completely separate fee for their water parks. This means anyone wanting to visit the Legoland water park will have to purchase a normal theme park admission ticket as well.
Legoland has also announced plans for a Lego-themed resort hotel scheduled to open in 2014 or 2015.
The overall aim is to make Legoland Florida a multi-day attraction destination.
Read more about Legoland Florida.
Despite the ending of the Space Shuttle programme, there is a lot happening at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) these days.
Vehicle Assembly Building
With the demise of the Space Shuttle programme, NASA is opening up the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the public. The VAB is the largest single-story building in the world.
For a limited time only, guests who purchase an Up-Close Tour at the KSC may get the opportunity to go inside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building where the Saturn V moon rockets were assembled and the Space Shuttles were mated with their external tanks and rocket boosters.
Inside the building, you will be able to see the incredible 456 foot tall bay doors through which the giant crawlers took the rockets out to the launch pads, the 325 ton overhead cranes and details of NASA’s newest Space Launch System (SLS). In fact in the short term you may also be able to see some of the three remaining Space Shuttles as they are prepared for exhibition.
Starting on November 1, the tours are being offered eight times a day for a limited number of guests. The tour price is $25 for adults and $19 for children. This is in addition to the regular KSC admission charge and reservations are recommended.
Other destinations on the 2 hour guided Up-Close Tour include the Apollo Saturn V Center, views of the now redundant shuttle launch pads, the crawlerway, Orbiter Processing Facilities and the NASA causeway.
Astronauts Hall of Fame
There are plans to move the exhibits currently housed at the Astronauts Hall of Fame to a new site at the main KSC complex. The current Astronauts Hall of Fame is located some 6 miles from KSC and though admission is included within the main visitor complex, not everyone bothers to make the extra trip.
At the same time, the approach to the visitor complex will be redesigned to make a more logical entrance to the site and to provide better routes through the various attractions.
One of the cornerstones of KSC will be the new exhibit featuring the Space Shuttle Atlantis, due to open in the summer of 2013.
Read more about the Kennedy Space Center.
Unlike the United Kingdom where many children are bused to school by local bus and coach operators using their own vehicles in their own colour schemes, in Florida like the rest of the USA, all school buses are painted in the distinctive yellow school bus colours and are equipped with large hexagonal red stop signs that fold out from the sides of the bus on the offside (left hand side viewed from the rear).
To reduce the number of children killed or injured getting on and off school buses, all US States, have specific school bus stop laws.
Florida State law says that if you approach a school bus which is displaying flashing red stop signals and an extended stop sign, then you must not pass the bus but must come to a complete halt. You must not move off until the bus turns off the flashing stop lights and retracts its stop sign(s).
The same rules apply if you are travelling in the opposite direction and there is not a physical barrier, an unpaved space at least five feet wide or a raised median between you and the bus. Central turn lanes are not regarded as a barrier in this case.
This means the only time you can pass a school bus with flashing stop signals is if you are travelling in the opposite direction on a divided highway with a barrier between the two carriageways as noted above. Even then you should take extra care as children do not always pay attention when getting on or off a bus.
Read more about driving in Florida, school bus stop laws and the rules of the road.
Universal Orlando: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park Adventure 2012 is the first book solely dedicated to the Universal Studios theme park resort in Florida, rather than being tacked on to one of the many guide books about the Walt Disney World Resort or Orlando.
The first edition was published in March 2000 and it has been revised each year ever since, the 2012 edition is the 11th edition.
With the opening of Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando became a strong competitor to Walt Disney World and this book covers both the original Universal Studios Florida theme park, the second Islands of Adventure theme park and the CityWalk entertainment complex. New for 2011 was a section on the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The 2012 edition is written by Seth Kubersky. Previous editions have been written by Kelly Monaghan who is no stranger to Florida and is also the author of “SeaWorld, Discovery Cove & Aquatica: Orlando’s Salute to the Seas” and “The Other Orlando: What To Do When You’ve Done Disney and Universal”, published in 2009 and 2007 respectively as well as a contributor to “The Other Orlando” blog (see below). Seth Kubersky has also collaborated on previous editions of Universal Orlando.
Read the rest of our review of Universal Orlando: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park Adventure 2012.
You can get official mobile apps for several of Florida’s theme parks and now Legoland Florida have released a Legoland Florida mobile app; free on both the iTunes and Android Stores.
Features include an interactive park map showing all the rides, shows, restaurants, shops, first aid centres, lost parents locations and ATMs. For each location it shows you its position on the park map and if you are actually in the park, tells you how far away you are.
You can zoom in or out and the map has three display options:
- a regular colour perspective “brochure” style map (the default)
- a satellite image or
- an augmented reality view if you are actually in the park
Clicking on a location icon on the map brings up an information box which you can then click for further details. For each attraction there is a star rating, a short description and details of any height or age restrictions so you can plan according to the make up of your party. For shows, it will show you the next show time.
Before you visit Legoland Florida, you can plan your day at the park by creating a customised trip and choosing which rides, shows and attractions you want to see. When you get to the park, you can then click on each of your specified attractions to get further details.
Read more about Florida theme park mobile applications including Legoland, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.
November and December 2011 desktop wallpaper calendars
The free Florida desktop wallpaper calendars are now available in new widescreen and netbook format as well as standard format so if you have a widescreen monitor or a netbook you can now download a new widescreen calendar. From July we have introduced some additional sizes for widescreens. 
Free desktop calendars for November 2011 (Orange Groves at Bok Tower Gardens) and December 2011 (Universe of Energy Pavilion at Disney’s Epcot) are ready to download now.
Note that some of the larger files can be up to 1mb in size so if you are on a modem dialup line it will take a few minutes to download.
Click to view and then download the Florida free desktop wallpaper for November and December now.
Also don’t forget if you are looking for inspiration on what to do on your Florida vacation, why not take advantage of our collection of free Florida brochures where you will find information on many activities including golfing vacations, eco-tours, scuba diving and Caribbean cruises.
With the end of Halloween, all the major theme parks start gearing up for Thanksgiving and the Holiday season with events like the Osborne Light Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Orlando.
This month there are two public holidays; on November 11, it is Veterans Day and then on Thursday, November 24 it is Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving weekend is one of the biggest holiday weekends in America so you can expect very large crowds all over Florida.
Once the Thanksgiving weekend is over, the parks then become very quiet until the Christmas/New Year Holiday season, which makes it a great time to visit as the weather is still quite good and all the Christmas decorations are up and the theme parks are in full swing with their Holiday season activities.
As with last month, there are a number of local county fairs throughout the state celebrating the fall.
Noticeable artists on tour in Florida this month include the Black Eyed Peas, Judas Priest, Taylor Swift and Todd Rundgren.
Looking further ahead, Andrea Bocelli, Alice Cooper, Hall and Oates, Paul Simon and Smokey Robinson are also performing in Florida.
Read the full coverage of the latest events throughout the State of Florida or a comprehensive list of upcoming Florida concerts.
The end of November is the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. So far this year, there have been 17 named storms and six hurricanes, well above the average.
Late October also saw up to 15 inches of snow fall in New Jersey with over 2 million homes without power along the North Eastern seaboard.
Like last month, temperatures this month will be below seasonal averages across the whole state and rainfall will also be below average. Temperatures will continue to fall with daytime temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s throughout the state for some of the month. The main difference will be in overnight temperatures where it will be noticeably cooler the further north you are.
In the North around Pensacola and Jacksonville, the month will start out with plenty of sunshine and the occasional thunderstorm particularly on the East coast. Daytime temperatures will again be in mid to low 70s. Overnight temperatures will be in the low 60s falling to low 50s.
Across the Central region, the weather outlook is very similar but with more chance of rain. Temperatures will be in the low 80s to high 70s during the day with low 60s overnight.
Down in Miami and the Keys, the weather will be similar again. Temperatures will be in the low 80s during the day and low 70s overnight.
Check out the rest of the weather for all of Florida including a live weather map, monthly temperature and rainfall charts across the State and the latest hurricane news.
A good selection of books again this month including annual updates to their Florida guides from both Frommer and Fodor plus the latest editions of Universal Orlando (see our review above) and Frommer’s Walt Disney World and Orlando. Follow the links to read our reviews.
November Book List
- Frommer’s Florida 2012 by Lesley Abravanel
- New Port Richey by Jeff Cannon
- Fodor’s Florida 2012
- Florida Icons: Fifty Classic Views of the Sunshine State by Roger L. Hammer
- Florida Pirates: From the Southern Gulf Coast to the Keys and Beyond by James Kasserman, Sarah Kaserman
- Universal Orlando 2012: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park Adventure by Seth Kubersky
- Historic Sanibel and Captiva Islands: Tales of Paradise by Jeri Magg
- Frommer’s Walt Disney World and Orlando 2012 by Laura Lea Miller
- Suwannee County by Eric Musgrove
- Food Lovers’ Guide to Miami & Fort Lauderdale: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings by Christine Najac
- Treasures of the Panhandle: A Journey through West Florida by Brian R. Rucker
- Fido’s Florida: A Dog-Friendly Guide to the Sunshine State by Ginger Warder
We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.
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